Halo I
Beginnings ?

By: Micah Diablo
(© 2010-2011 by the author)

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

Chapter 3
Running With Scissors

SCENE A

Anthony and Nick watched me as I stood in Abercrombie & Fitch being dressed by one of the girl's who worked there.

"You know, even when he had that … whatever kinda style … he was cute," Nick said to his brother. "Dressing up with a lot more style now, Coy James is a stud."

Anthony smiled to himself. "The clothes don't make him hot," he said simply. "Coy makes himself hot because of his attitude. Somewhere inside that shy boy lies a fire that yearns to burn, but he is constantly overshadowed by Ky, so he just tames it."

"Oh, shit," Nick said, flashing his brother a confused look. "Wait, are you actually into him?"

"Of course I'm interested in him," Anthony replied. "Why'd you think I invited him to hang with us today?"

"No, I mean, I figured he was just a piece of ass that you wanted to fuck," Nick said. "Hell, I'm up for a tag team if you are. He has a bubble butt-ass screaming to be tapped and those lips…"

"Nick," Anthony said, pushing his brother, "this isn't one of our conquests. He's different from the others."

Nick flashed him a skeptical look. "Different … in the fact that I'm almost positive Coy is a virgin with a tight ass compared to the hoes we fucked with … yeah, he IS different," Anthony said as I walked over to them.

"I just had a total girl moment," I said with a smile. "I just spent six hundred dollars! On clothes, at that. Usually, I spend mad money on electronic stuff like game system, laptops, tvs. The list goes on."

"From what I see, you picked out some hot shit," Anthony said, taking some bags and handing them to his bro. "Nick and I are your personal bag men today."

"Are you sure?" I asked Nick who shrugged his shoulders.

"When I get a boyfriend, Ant will be caring our shit around, so this is my job till then," Nick said with a small laugh.

"He's not my boyfriend," Anthony and I said in unison. We shared just a hint of a smile.

"Right," Nick said rolling his eyes. We followed him out of the store. "How is it that a boy who doesn't know much about fashion seems like he brought a quarter of A & F's inventory?"

I shrugged. "That girl was just throwing all these clothes at me, trying to get me to buy them and I didn't wanna say no, so I just brought'em," I said with a sheepish grin. "What do you say I treat the Pagan brothers and myself to dinner at Hibachi—courtesy of my parental unit's credit card?"

"Hibachi?" Anthony asked looking at his brother. "That's the Chinese place on the other side of the mall? Isn't that restaurant kinda … steep?"

"Actually, it's Japanese," I corrected and threw my empty hands on their shoulders. "And in another way to lose the old Coy, the new Coy says money is not an option."

"Oh, God, if it was legal, I'd so marry you," Nick said, causing me to smile.

Anthony, however, wasn't to keen on the idea. Nick and he came from a well-off family but they did have limits. However, the James family was very well known—especially Ky—for having the hottest clothes that hadn't hit the stores yet. He wasn't too keen on people buying stuff for him either.

"Something wrong?" I asked him as I realized that he was being awfully quiet. Nick could tell what was on his brother's mind. He shot him a pleading look.

As much as Anthony was more independent and preferred to pay for everything himself, he never had been one to disappoint his brother.

"It's all good," He said to me, smiling. "Let's go grub."

SCENE B

"God, I am so tired," Giselle said as she applied her make up in the mirror of the girl's locker room.

After a two-hour practice with JV cheerleaders, Carmen and Giselle were looking to call it a night. Their captain had made them go harder then usual because the Varsity girls were watching.

"Yeah, you've had a killer workout today," Carmen said as she checked her cell phone for any missed texts or calls. "Between having your back popped out during class this morning with Matt, and Melody giving you a hard time at practice, I'd see why you're tired."

"What can I say?" Giselle asked, grabbing her purse. "I have the body of a goddess. You didn't think I got all this from hitting the treadmill and yoga, did you?"

"God, you're so conceited," Carmen said as they made their way back to the gym to meet up with their boyfriends. "But I'm sure you already knew that."

Giselle was about to respond when she noticed Brianna, the co-captain for the Varsity Squad, walking their way. "Slut-rific is headed toward us," she muttered and forced a fake bright smile. "Brianna! To WHAT do we owe this pleasant visit?"

She looked right past Giselle and straight at Carmen with a warm smile.

"I just wanted to compliment Carmen here on her talent," Brianna said extending her hand. "Brianna Rodriguez."

"Carmen Gianni," she replied shaking the girl's hand. "And I appreciate the kind words. It means a lot."

"No problem at all," Brianna replied. "You date Josh Jackson; right?"

Carmen nodded. "Yes, I do," she said blushing slightly. She always did that when she acknowledged her relationship. She was crazy about Josh but often still looked at Josh as the same little boy from elementary school who liked paste.

"He's a hottie," Brianna winked. "Go girl. Anyways, I'm not sure if you know about it, but the cheerleaders and football players, the ones who actually matter anyway, are throwing a party tonight. Seeing how Josh is well-known for his skills, I'm sure he'll be there. Will I be seeing you as well?"

"Um, well Giselle and I were going to do a girl's night at my house…" Carmen said acknowledging her aggravated friend.

"Oh," Brianna said flashing Giselle a sideways Glance. "Yeah, you're the girl who messed up a lot today during your practice, right?" Giselle had opened her mouth to retort but Carmen interrupted.

"I'll be there," Carmen said to Brianna, hoping to defuse the escalating situation.

"Perfect," Brianna said, giving Carmen a hug. She looked at Giselle. "Oh, Gabrielle, you're more than welcome to come as well."

"It's Giselle," she said, seething with annoyance. "And you are more than welcome to have my…"

"Time at that party," Carmen jumped in. "She can't wait. Neither can I, Brianna. Right, GiGi?"

"Right," Giselle scoffed. She already didn't like Brianna based on her reputation, but by the fact that she barely acknowledged her, Brianna was certainly not getting on her good side.

******************************************

SCENE C

"MATT!"

Josh and Ky ran to catch up with the boy who was eager to leave the school and go home and think.

"Yo, slow down," Ky said out of breath as they caught up to him. "Dude, what's the hurry for? You didn't even shower and I gotta say, man … you stink."

"I'll shower when I get home," Matt said shortly. "I just gotta think about something."

"Thing like what?" Josh asked. "You were completely off at practice? What's on your mind?"

"Just stuff," Matt said shortly. "Don't sweat it, man."

"Well, we kinda gotta sweat it, dude," Ky said, shoving Matt into the locker. "We had to do a shitload of suicides today at practice all because you weren't focused. So what's the deal?"

"Leave it alone, Ky," Josh warned his friend. "You know Coy and Matt got something going on."

"What?" Matt said fearfully. "What makes you say that ?"

Ky looked at Josh and then looked at Matt. "Um, because he likes Giselle and saw you fucking her this morning," he said shaking his head. "Damn, where is your head at? Obviously not on Football."

"Look, I just got a lot of shit on my mind right now," Matt sighed. "I just really need to be by myself for a while. Okay?"

He walked past the two and down the hall. Ky thought about something.

"Dude, what about the party tonight?" he called after him. Matt just kept walking. "I swear, I don't really like the dude and how weird he's been acting; it's crazy as hell," Ky mumbled out loud, looking over at Josh who seemed to be lost in thought. 'Oh shit, not you, too,' Ky thought to himself.

Josh just watched Matt as he disappeared around the corner at the end of the hall. "Nah, it can't be," he thought to himself. The gears in Josh's head churned inside as he began thinking about some things.

SCENE D

"Well, I'm stuffed," Nick said as he stretched in his chair. "This dinner was probably the best shit I've had in my life."

"Yeah, thanks, Coy," Anthony said, making me smile. "We really appreciate it."

"No problem," I said shyly. "That's what's friends do and I really appreciate you two guys letting me hang with you."

"I swear; we're probably like some of the most popular guys in school," Nick said sipping on his drink. "But you and your brother have got to be the richest people. I know this meal is going to cost you like seven hundred dollars."

"$725.67, with a twenty percent tip," I said and looked down embarrassed. "Sorry, I tend to do a lot of math in my head."

Anthony smiled at me. "It's cool," He said, flashing me a smile. "I like it."

I smiled but felt a vibration in my pocket. I pulled my sidekick out and saw that it was Matt calling. I frowned at the sight of his name, and hit the ignore button.

"Something wrong?" Anthony asked, concerned. I looked at him. Looked at him right in his eyes. I didn't see a bad guy as people portrayed him. The rumors I heard about him. Trust me, they were bad, but I didn't see it. He seemed nice. Too good to be true.

"Everything is fine," I said biting my lip. Carmen always said when I flirt with somebody I always bit my lip seductively and I think Anthony blushed when I smiled at him.

"Okay this 90210 moment is making me sick," Nick said, yawning. "I feel like getting into some trouble."

"What kind of trouble?" I asked curiously. He glanced at Anthony who flashed him an unsure look.

"Have you ever dined and dashed before?" Nick asked me. I looked at him, confused.

"Where you eat the food and then leave before you pay for it?" I asked him. He nodded. "That's what you want to do? Isn't that … kinda illegal?"

"Yes, it is," Nick said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Most of the things Ant and I do are illegal. In most countries, anyway."

Anthony looked at me nervously. "Uh, Nick, I don't think that is such a good idea," he said unsure.

"I mean, why not?" Nick asked, amused. "I mean, it's apparent you two like each other, so why not show him how much you really do."

"I mean I have a way of paying for the meal," I said torn between my common sense and drive to be different. "If we get caught, then we'll be in some serious trouble."

"Then don't get caught," Nick said with a sly grin as he stood up. "You two better not be pussies and stay to pay."

He flashed Anthony a knowing look. He knew his brother hated being called a pussy or anything that made him seem afraid of anything as Nick casually strolled to the exit.

"Come on," Anthony said grabbing my hand. I was still unsure of the situation. But being Coy usually never got me anything except good grades and loneliness. "Coy?"

I got up and followed behind him, hand still in his hand as he led me out of the restaurant. The waiter noticed that we were leaving and made his way after us.

"Shit," Anthony said pulling me behind him. The three of us ran through the mall towards the parking lot.

It was then I discovered that I really was changing. But I wasn't sure if it was for the better.

SCENE E

Matt sat in his room looking through a journal he had kept since he was about eleven. He flashed through the pages talking about his family life and how his father pushed him hard to be a great sports player. How his best friend was mad that Matt went to the super bowl for the past five years. He finally got to the entry he was looking for.

July 19, 2006.  11:45 P.M.  That day still rang clear in his head. He remembered the emotions he felt when he wrote the entry. He remembered the thoughts in his head. He remembered the tears he cried.

"…I think," he began reading to himself. "I think…" He couldn't bring himself to finish the passage. "I think … I might be gay."

He looked down at the page. He could still see the tear stains on the paper. They still looked so fresh three years later. It was then that he realized … Those tears were falling now. He felt so ashamed. Scared. Confused.

"Today, I was at Ryan's house playing football," he continued reading. "I got the same excited feeling that I used to get from girls before when I was dating Ashley Martin. But it was from Ryan. He tackled me and was on top of me and I could feel it. It was a lot of pressure in my pants. So I pushed him off me and yelled that I had to use the bathroom. Then I went upstairs to…"

Matt stopped himself. He was getting excited just thinking of the past events. He had already felt so much guilt. His father used to tell him all the time that gays were an abomination. They were sick, sick people. He had forced himself to hate being gay … hate being apart of himself. He had done some bad things in the past few years. Stuff he wasn't proud of … all because he was gay and afraid. It was way too much for a recently-turned sixteen-year-old to deal with.

But how come ever since he came to Atlantic City, all the thoughts he had been having felt so right.

"How come he feels right?" Matt asked himself.

He looked at his clock. It was almost six. He needed to clear his head and alcohol was the best way to do that.

"Fuck this shit," he said ripping the pages out of his journal. He grabbed his house key off his desk and headed downstairs and out the door to the football party.

SCENE F

"Man, this is why I fucking love football," Ky said as Josh, Giselle, and Carmen followed him inside Ryan Kelly's back yard. "Only we would have parties on a school night."

"Please, teachers are still reviewing freshman coursework in class," Carmen said clutching on Josh's arm. "Nobody really is worried about it being a school night."

"When do they ever?" Josh joked and kissed his girlfriend.

Giselle rolled her eyes. She was bothered by the fact that Carmen seemed to be getting a lot more attention than she deserved. Back at her old school, Giselle was used to being fawned over and treated like the royalty she thought herself to be. Here, Giselle was actually somebody's sidekick. It bothered her more so that Carmen had a great boyfriend who was affectionate and sensual versus the Sex-fiend that Matt seemed to be with her. She liked a good fuck as much as the next girl but she also wanted to feel loved, and she wanted that from her boyfriend whom she loved. With as much shit as she had been through with Matt, she still stuck around.

"It has to be true love," she said to herself.

"I see potential fuck-buddies," Ky said eyeing some girls in the pool. Josh snorted at him.

"You see fuck-buddies, I see victims," he said, and Ky got an evil glint in his eye.

Carmen recognized the look and quickly pulled away from Josh as Ky pushed him into the pool. Josh just laughed and splashed the three.

"I can't believe that Matt isn't here," Giselle said sadly. Ky eased up beside her.

"Well, I could be a good upgrade to Matt," he said to her. She smiled at him. And then tried to push him into the pool, but as she did, he pulled her on top of himself as he fell back-first into the pool.

Carmen smiled at the three as they played around and tried dunking Giselle in the water as she screamed about her hair.

"Carmen," A voice said from behind her. She turned to see Brianna with her boyfriend Christian standing there. "I'm glad that you came."

"Of course, I wouldn't miss this for the world," she said happily. "Thank you so much for inviting me."

"She better have invited one of the hottest player's girlfriends at our school," Christian said. "Also one of the hottest girls at our school. After Brianna, here, of course."

"And me," Giselle said as she walked up next to Carmen. "Brianna, this party had a great turn out from what I see."

"What did you expect?" Brianna asked. "Everybody here is somebody. No lames allowed. And speaking of no-lames-allowed, Carmen, I wanted to talk to you about possibly cheering on Varsity."

"What?" Carmen and Giselle said in unison. Josh heard the good news and hugged his girlfriend.

"Congratulations, babe," he said kissing her cheek. "Looks like we really are the power couple of the school."

"I'd be honored," Carmen said, shocked. "You guys have the best uniforms, routines … everything. I never in a million years expected to be a sophomore on Varsity cheerleading!"

Giselle scoffed and stormed off. Carmen sighed to herself.

"Um, Bri, can I get back to you tomorrow at school?" she asked her. She knew that Giselle did not like this.

"Of course, hon," she replied. "Just let me know; okay?"

"Thanks," she said following after Giselle who went to where the beer was.

Josh scowled as he saw Anthony, Nick, and me walking into the party. "Brianna … Christian … Excuse us," he said, pulling Ky behind him.

"Dare I say, is that my brother walking into a party? One that has alcohol?" Ky said surprised as the five of us met.

"What the hell are you doing with these two assholes?" Josh demanded. I looked at him, shocked.

"Josh, calm down," I said with a laugh. "We've just been hanging out since lunch and at the mall today. They're cool."

"Yeah, these my boys," Ky said giving Anthony and Nick a bro hug. "We twins gotta stick together. They mad cool."

"Nah, they are mad gay," Josh said. "Fucking faggots." He looked at me and then quickly regretted what he said.

I shot him a dark look. Anthony and Nick stepped in front of me. "What the fuck did you just call us?" Anthony asked him.

"Why is one of us always involved in a confrontation?" Ky asked, trying to defuse the situation. "Can't we all get along? Where is the love?"

"Shut up, Ky," Josh, Anthony, and Nick said in unison.

"Okay," Ky said nodding. Nick pushed Josh.

"Answer the question," he said, pushing Josh again. "What the fuck did you call us?'"

"Josh," I said to him. Ky was unsure of what the situation was. But he couldn't let his oldest friend, Josh, be jumped by the two brothers so he was sure he would have to jump in. "Don't. Walk away."

"Fuck that," Josh spat. "I called you fucking gay. Fucking faggots."

"That's what I thought," Anthony said and punched him in the face.

"Fuck," I said as the four boys got into the brawl I knew was going to happen.

*********************************************

SCENE G

Carmen, oblivious to the fact that her boyfriend was involved in a fight, chased Giselle as she walked behind the house drinking a beer.

"Giselle," she called out. "What the hell are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" Giselle asked sarcastically. "I'm about to get drunk off my ass. Would you like to steal that, too?"

"What?" Carmen asked confused. "I haven't stolen anything from you."

"Oh, really?" Giselle laughed, the alcohol already beginning to affect her. "You stole my life. You stole my thunder. Before I came here, I was the shit. Now I feel like shit."

'Well, maybe you are getting what you deserve," Carmen said throwing her hands up in the air. "You spend so much time talking about yourself that you don't even take the time to acknowledge the achievements of the people you call friends. Some friend you are."

"Spare me the bullshit," Giselle said angrily. "Let's face it, if Matt and Josh weren't friends then we wouldn't be either."

"Do you really believe I am friends with you because of you dating my boyfriend's best friend?" Carmen asked her, shocked. "Let's not get me confused. I am not a stupid bitch like you are."

"You did not just call me a bitch," Giselle said throwing her beer on her.

"You are a bitch," Carmen said to her. "You are so worried about losing your precious tiara. Well, newsflash princess. Nobody cares enough about you to worship you. Welcome to Atlantic City."

"Ooh," Giselle said tackling her. The two began to wrestle as a bunch of guys began watching the cat fight ensue.

"Oh, my fucking God!" I said throwing my hands in the air. "What the fuck is this? WWE raw? Stop fighting."

I looked around at the crowd. They seemed to be more interested in watching a fight then stopping somebody from getting hurt. This was the crowd that I wanted to be apart of?

"Guys stop it," I said trying to pull Anthony off of Ky. I was starting to see the rumor about his anger issues was true.

"Get the fuck off of me," Anthony said angrily, shoving me back. Nobody noticed that I fell into the pool. Nobody except Ky.

"J… Josh…" He stammered nervously.

**********************************************

SCENE H

I fell to the bottom of the pool. I was holding my breath trying to struggle back up to the surface of the pool. I couldn't get myself to float to the stop.

"I'm going to die here," I said as I began to lose my breath. I began to lose consciousness.

My vision began to get blurry and I almost felt like I could see Matt.

"Matt?" I thought to myself. He wrapped his arms around me and the light on him looked white…almost as if he had a … halo.

Then it got pitch black.

*************************************************

SCENE I

"Oh, my God," Carmen said as she watched Matt do CPR. Everybody at the party crowded around Matt and me as he struggled to revive me.

Suddenly, her fight with Giselle didn't matter as much to her anymore.

Suddenly, Josh's hatred for Anthony and Nick didn't matter to him anymore.

"I can't lose Coy after I just got him back," Josh said clutching Carmen as she cried in his arm.

Giselle stood with Ky who looked shaken up. "Coy can't swim," he said shaking his head. "We can't swim. We never learned how."

Matt struggled to fight back the tears as he kept doing compressions. He was walking into the party when he saw Anthony push me into the pool. When he saw the scared look in my eyes he realized in that second, that very second, he wanted to be the one to protect me. He rushed into the water after me and pulled me to the top.

"Was I too late?" He thought to himself as he reached down to breathe in my mouth.

He jumped up in shock when he felt my tongue wiggle in his mouth. He blushed slightly then laughed wildly when he discovered that I was alive.

"Oh," Carmen said excitedly. "Thank god. You're okay." She and Giselle both reached down to hug me.

Giselle smiled at Carmen. It was almost like watching someone die that she realized that she didn't want to lose any of her friends. Especially Carmen. Because she never had a best friend before. Nobody who wasn't afraid of her anyway. Carmen returned the smile and hugged her as well.

"Coy," Anthony said walking towards me, Nick behind him. "I'm … I didn't mean…."

"Stay away from me," I choked out. Matt, Josh, Ky, Carmen, and Giselle jumped up in front of me.

"You heard him," Matt said to Anthony. Anthony looked like he wanted to challenge him but Nick pulled him away. With one sad look behind him, he walked out of the party.

"I'm okay, Ky," I said as he hugged me tightly. "I almost died from suffocating in the water. I don't want to die from being hugged to death."

"Sorry," he said sheepishly.

Josh walked away afraid of what I was going to say to him for his actions. "Hey," I called out to him. "Where you going? I almost died. I'm too tired to be pissed, so you get a freebie this time."

"Thanks," he said as the six of us walked out of the party.

"I'm sure that you guys want to party," I said to them. Josh, Giselle, Ky, and Carmen flashed a guilty look. "Go ahead. I'm fine. I'll just see you guys tomorrow."

They pulled me into a bear hug, and then they went back inside to the party. Matt stood there looking at me with a fierce look.

"I guess I should thank you," I said to him with a sigh. "So thank…" I was interrupted by a kiss.

After a few seconds, he pulled away and flashed me a sheepish grin. "Now, I consider that a proper thank you," he said to me.

"But … You're not … are you?" I asked still reeling from the kiss. He knew how to kiss even though it was only for a few seconds.

"Yeah," he said to me. "I am. You sprung it on me so fast that I didn't know exactly what to say. That's why I was speechless. I'm just … I got a lot of issues with it to work out but I want to try and work out with you."

I thought about Giselle for a second. But I realized something. I didn't have to change my entire self. I could change a little but still be me. So I pushed Giselle out of my mind and smiled at him.

"Want me to drive you home?" he asked me. "Being a sophomore with a car is fucking awesome."

I smiled at him and then thought about something. "Sure," I said to him. "But I want to make a pitstop first."

We walked towards his car unbeknownst that we were being watched by Anthony and Nick.

SCENE J

Giselle cheered as she and Ky won a game of chicken against Josh and Carmen.

"I guess I can beat you at something, Carmen," she teased with a smile. "It's all good, though."

"That's only because I let you win," Carmen said as they climbed out of the pull. She hugged her friend. "We so don't need to fight again. It makes us … like them." She pointed at Josh and Ky.

Giselle laughed and then sighed as she noticed Brianna walking towards them. "I'll let you handle your business," she said sadly.

"Actually, I wanted to talk with you, Giselle," Brianna said with a smile. "I saw the way you stood up for Coy earlier, and he is an amazing guy. Helped Christian and me with a lot of our homework and tests when we needed it. I feel if he surrounds himself around you, then you got to be a good person."

"I'm going to take that as a compliment," Giselle with a half-smile, half-I-can't-stand-you look.

"As you should," Brianna said to her. "Will I be seeing you both at Varsity Practice tomorrow?"

Giselle and Carmen looked at her. "Uh duh," they said with a smile. She gave them both a hug.

"Enjoy the rest of the party," she said, leaving the girls.

The two hugged each other happily.

Giselle realized sometimes it's just as much fun to share the limelight with someone, as it is to have it on yourself.

SCENE K

"Um, excuse me," I said to the hostess. She looked up from her receipts and pointed at me.

"Oh! Manager! Manager!" She yelled out in her Japanese accent. I sighed to myself. This was not how I wanted this to go.

A tall Japanese Man walked over to us and gave me a stern look. "So you came back to try and steal more food from us?" he asked me.

"Actually, no," I said reaching in my back pocket for my wallet. "I realized that you all have families and people to support, and by not paying for our meals, that I was not only hurting you guys and your families, I was hurting myself. I want to pay for my food plus an extended tip."

"Are you serious?" the man asked me, surprised. HE looked at the hostess who flashed me a confused look. "But … why are you doing this? You weren't going to be caught."

"Because," I said handing him my credit card. "I am a good person. And I like who I am."

I walked out of the restaurant…Smiling, dignity still in tack.

To be continued...

Posted: 12/31/10